Despite some fires about 80 miles away (and now under control), the air is clear here in McCloud and all roads in the surrounding area are open! Dinner is still being served in the garden! Come on up – the weather is fine! August and September are some of the best times to visit!

Every year the town of McCloud celebrates it’s history as a former lumber mill town. Come be part of this fun annual event. We even have a Melodrama that chronicles part of the history! This year it is about the “Muddy Mess of 1924”.

Spring flowers are in bloom in McCloud! We have upgraded all our Garden View rooms – with new King Size beds! Come visit for one of our upcoming festivals: Memorial Day weekend (Mushroom Fair) or June 1 (Flea Market)!

The Amethyst Wine Garden (at the McCloud Hotel) is now open 5 nights a week (Wednesday – Sunday) from 5:30 – 8 PM. Check out our new menu under the Dining Tab on the website. New items include: Grilled Rib Eye Steak and Chicken Under a Brick – along with our old favorites like Salmon over lentils and Pot Roast. Our Wine list has also been updated – we now have about 60 wines for you to choose from! We look forward to seeing you soon!

The current McCloud Hotel building is actually a replacement for the original (built in 1915). This is a picture from 1903 of the original building. Wish we still had the wonderful old balconies! Many thanks to our local museum for publishing this old photo!

Come visit the McCloud Hotel for Valentine’s Day/Weekend! We’ll be serving dinner Thurs – Saturday evenings and will have a special dessert offering for your sweetie! We can also help make the evening special by putting champagne, flowers or chocolates in the room (additional charges will apply). Just let us know what you’d like!

Mt. Shasta Ski Park is preparing for the upcoming winter season and expects to be open by mid-December.

The Ski Park in preparation for the winter made several changes and improvements during the summer. This includes removing the Rope Tow and installing a new 300 foot Sun Kids moving carpet in the Panther Creek base area which will provide service to tubing and ski/snowboard learning guests.

Another major improvement includes the remodeling of the deck on the Panther Creek side of the upper lodge. This improvement provides more seating, event space and a fire pit.

As mentioned above the Tubing center will be moved up to the Panther Creek area and will now have expanded hours. The Tubing hill will operate seven days a week. Hours will be 9 am to 4 pm Sunday through Wednesday and 9 am to 8 pm Thursday through Saturday. Prices will be $20 for adults and $15 for children.

This season we will be having a huge new year’s eve party on December 31st. Skiing and Boarding from 3pm to 10 pm for just $20, Torch light Parade, Glow Items and Party favors, Dj in the main lodge and a huge fireworks show at 9pm.

Our annual Big Air Contest will be on Feb 22nd, Rail Jam on March 22nd and our annual Pond Skim on April 12th.

The Other Side of the Mountain (gift shop) has moved and is now located at the side entrance of the hotel! Something for everyone! Local art work, T-shirts, sweat shirts, mugs, holiday items, calendars etc… Check it out next time you visit!

Join us here in McCloud on October 12 for the annual “Biketoberfest” – all sorts of biking events taking place throughout the town of McCloud! The hotel has plenty of indoor space to keep your bike safe.

Filling – Make this first:
Mix together the dry ingredients and sprinkle with the vanilla until all ingredients are damp – set aside to use in scones – only use about 3/4 as scone filling – use the rest to make the glaze.

Scones
1) Wisk the eggs, half and half and vanilla in a small bowl.

2) In the bowl of a food processor whirl together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3) Scatter the butter over the surface of the dry ingredients – pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand – a few pea size lumps of butter are OK.

4) Dump this mixture out of the food processor and into a large bowl and add the cinnamon chips – mix in with a wooden spoon.

5) Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the Egg mixture – stir carefully with the spoon and/or a spatula – make sure everything is wet/mixed – but DO NOT OVER MIX stir until all is moistened and holds together.

6) Scrape the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Pat/roll it into a rough 9″ square, a scant 3/4″ thick. Make sure the surface underneath the dough is very well floured.

7) Sprinkle the filling over the dough. Fold one edge into the center and over the filling, as though you were folding a letter. Fold the remaining edge over the center to complete the three-fold. You’ll now have a rectangle that’s stretched to about 4″ x 12″. Gently pat/roll it to lengthen it into a 3″ x 18″ rectangle; it’ll be between 3/4″ and 1″ thick.

8) Cut the rectangle into 3 strips – then cut the strips into a zig zag pattern (or whatever shapes you want) – cutting them with a dough scraper is best – use a spatula to lift them and put them on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper.

9) You may also choose to make scone strips, or tiny squares. Cut each 3″ square into three 1″ x 3″ rectangles, for a total of 18 scone strips. Gently separate the strips, leaving about 1/2″ between them. Or cut each 3″ square into nine 1″ squares, to make 54 bite-sized mini scones.

10) IMPORTANT – For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.

11) Bake the scones for anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, or until they’re starting to turn golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven, and allow the scones to cool right on the pan.

12) Make the glaze by stirring together the left over filling mix with confectioner’s sugar and water (until you get the consistency you want) – BE CAREFUL not to add too much water.

13) Drizzle the glaze over the hot scones – let them set a few minutes before serving.

If anyone is interested in my blogging about various recipes from the hotel – please send me an email (mchotel@snowcrest.net) – if I get enough notes, I’ll start a regular recipe blog on the hotel website! THANKS!

Join the McCloud Hotel and Del Rio Winery for Wine Tasting and Wine Maker’s Dinner on April 26, 2013. Menu and further information is on the Specials page.

The Del Rio Winery

Located along theRogue River just north of Gold Hill, Del Rio Vineyards and Winery is the home of one of the largest vineyards in Southern Oregon. A family run business began with the planting of the grapes in 1997. The family atmosphere is evident in all aspects of the estate. With over 200,000 vines the vineyard is producing a diverse selection of grape varieties. A lot of love and time is devoted to the development process of our premium estate wines.

As the vineyard has grown over the last ten years, so has the winery and wine label. The tasting room now serves 10 exquisite varietals: Syrah, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chardonnay, and Early Muscat.